Full Text

REPORTS
VOLUME FIFTEEN, NUMBER SIXTEEN
SEPTEMBER 25, 1969, VANCOUVER 8 B.C.
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Detail from Kwakiutl housepost carving included in UBC's Montreal display
Potlatch People Captivate Montreal
See pages six and seven
First Results of Student Survey
See page five A GUIDE TO
"Help! I need somebody. Help I''
This line from the Beatles' song epitomizes the
sometimes urgent cries for help expressed by UBC
students, verbally or otherwise, during their
university years. ~^^B
A multitude of problems personal, academic,
intellectual, emotional, physical, psychological, legal
and financial—confront students trying to cope with
the unique environment of the university.
To find out more about the problems students
experience and how widespread they are, Dick
Shirran, director of UBC's Student Services
department and lecturer in psychology, conducted a
survey among 1,102 students enrolled in various
sections of psychology 100 during the 1966-67
session.
PROBLEMS LISTED
The study showed that male and female students
agreed markedly on problem areas. Fifty per ceni
both sexes said problems of a financial, academic a!
vocational choice loomed largest, followed by.
problems of a social or interpersonal nature.
Emotional or psychological problems were next
highest in frequency, being experienced by 23.7 per __.
cent of the men students and 30.5 per cent of the
women students.
When asked to indicate specific areas of concern to
them, more than 60 per cent named the following:
lack of well-defined career objectives, poor study
habits, planning an academic program, despondency
and depression and too much to study.
Many of these concerns are of a practical nature
related to the student's purpose in attending *
university.
The report states, however, that "the incidence of
problems concerning depression and despondency
(63.4 per cent), relations with the opposite sex (55
per cent), confusion about real values (50.7 per cent),
friction with parents (45.1 percent), peculiar ideas or
thoughts (28.3 per cent), conflict in morals at
university with those a: home (24.9 per cent) and
consideration of suicide (12.8 per cent) suggest that *
these concerns should also he recognized as being of
major concern to students."
No student need be alone with his problems. Many
concerned ancl capable people on the faculty ancl
staff are ready ancl able to help resolve difficulties.
The professionals who staff various campus offices
maintain close liaison ancl students who seek help are
referred to the individual best able to respond in a
sympathetic and constructive way.
Knowing where to go on campus can sometimes be
half the answer. Here's a run-clown on the various
campus departments ancl offices where help is
available.
STUDENT SERVICES. Dick Shirran likes to see his
office, located on the West Mall adjacent to the ..-
Fraser River parking lot, as the "type of place where
students bring the everyday type of problem which
2/UBC Reports/September 25, 1969 DORIS rlwPPUR , an assistant information officer at UBC, surveyed the various campus
services which students can call on if they have problems of an academic or personal nature.
No student, she found, need be alone with a problem, no matter how complex. Dozens
of faculty and staff members stand ready to help students surmount the tensions
and anxieties which can arise when young people are challenged by a new environment.
PROBLEM-SOLVERS AT UBC
r
young people in a challenging environment can
expect to experience."
All students entering UBC for the first time are
required to complete a battery of aptitude tests
^nducted by the Student Services staff, giving many
^Blents a first contact with counselling personnel.
To increase awareness of the service, counselling
offices are situated in the same general area as
Student Placement Services and many students
coming in to inquire about employment possibilities
can also discuss their general academic objectives.
Mr. Shirran says that counselling is largely oriented
toward vocational and education guidance because
these are major problems for most young people, but
he stressed that emotional and social problems often
are closely related factors.
Seven full-time counsellors, all with post-graduate
degrees in psychology, are employed by Student
Services. "Quick counselling over the counter" is
avoided and each student is allowed one full hour of
private consultation. Further appointments can be
^B'e if desired and strict confidentiality is always
maintained.
Mr. Shirran stressed that counsellors do not tell
students what to do. "Our purpose," he said "is
discussion with the individual about all aspects of a
problem to allow him to come to a knowledgeable
decision that is best suited to his or her particular
circumstances."
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES. Student Health
Services, located in the Wesbrook Building on the
corner of University Boulevard and East Mall,
attempts to provide students while they are on
campus with the care they would normally receive
from their regular family physician. Between June of
1967 and 1968, some 16,041 students visited the
Health Services for a total of 33,950 visits.
There are no direct charges made to students for
any of the services provided. The Health Service is
open in the Wesbrook Building from 8:15 a.m.—4:45
p.m., Monday to Friday, and last year some 100—150
students a day received attention. A 26-bed hospital,
which is covered by B.C. Hospitat Insurance, is also
operated by Health Services and is open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, so that emergency care is
always available.
DISREGARD ILLNESS
"Students, if they are away from home, are apt to
disregard illness and not get proper care. With these
facilities we can get them back to health," said Dr.
A.M. Johnson, director of the Health Services. Dr.
Johnson is assisted by two full-time and five part-time
physicians as well as the psychiatric physicians,
nurses, and office staff.
Health Services also provides innoculations and
immunizations for students and in cooperation with
the Division of Tuberculosis Control, conducts a TB
detection program on campus each year.
Laboratory and x-ray facilities are available and a
physiotherapist works in the War Memorial
Gymnasium under the direction of Health Services.
Also, by arrangements made in conjunction with the
physical education department, a physician is in
attendance at every athletic game played on campus.
Upper respiratory infections, severe bronchitis,
infectious mononucleosis and athletic injuries are the
most frequent student health problems.
Health Service staff also conduct informal talks in
residences, giving factual information on sex
education to interested students. This year a
handbook of birth control information is being
failure." Students come to university to attain their
aspirations and some cannot face the possibility of
failure.
Psychiatric help is readily available to UBC
students and all consultations are completely
confidential.
DEAN OF WOMEN'S OFFICE. Sympathetic listeners
to the special problems of UBC's female students are
the dean of women, Mrs. Helen McCrae, and her two
assistants, Margaret Frederickson and Kathleen
Jackson.
distributed through the Health Services in
cooperation with the student Alma Mater Society.
PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE. Health Services also
provides psychiatric care, which is considered to be
among the best available on any Canadian campus.
Psychiatrist Dr. Conrad Schwarz is assisted by two
consultants and two full-time psychiatric
residents-in-training.
Students suffer the whole range of psychiatric
illness from anxiety and mild depression right
through to schizophrenia. Last year 359 students
visited Psychiatric Services a total of 2,239 times,
with a mean figure of 6.2 visits per student.
A little over 60 per cent of this group required
only five or fewer visits, which suggests that the
majority of students seek psychiatric tielp while in
the midst of an emotional crisis and respond well to
short-term psychotherapy, Dr. Schwarz said.
Dr. Schwarz estimates that psychiatric care
positively benefits about two-thirds of those students
who seek it. He says one of the significant differences
in problems among students and the general population is the suicide rate, which is two to three times
higher among students than for the same age group in
the general population.
Dr. Schwarz suggests the reason may be that "there
is a more definite measurement here of success or
The Dean of Women's Office is located in room
456 on the fourth floor of the Buchanan Building and
here a woman can expect to find support for the
academic, financial, emotional, psychological or other
problems on which she may have lost perspective.
Like other campus counsellors, the dean of women
reports that students do not present black-and-white
problems, but rather complex difficulties clouded by
a number of factors—financial, emotional and
psychological.
Girls making decisions about their personal lives
often go to her for discussions, although Dean
McCrae resents the question: "How many pregnant
girls have you got?" She considers pregnancy and
birth control are problems for Student Health
Services and girls are referred there or to off-campus
social agencies.
Special and specific needs of unique groups of
students are noted and then acted upon, whether it
be information on vocations for the undecided,
orientation for new students or sponsorship and
support for women's groups on campus. One such
group recently sponsored by the Dean of Women's
Office is the Continuing University Education group
Continued on the next page
Sec HELP
UBC Reports/September 25, 1969/3 HELP
Continued from page three
which provides mutual support to women students 21
and over, many of whom are married and have
families, and are returning to university studies.
Women students also encounter greater financial
difficulties than men because they are unable to
obtain high-paying summer jobs. The Dean of
Women's Office helps in every way possible and Dean
McCrae's succinct advice is always: "Borrow and
invest in your brains."
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE. Foreign students
experience the same problems as any other new
students on campus, with the added complications of
adjusting to a new culture, gaining proficiency in
English and overcoming feelings of isolation and
loneliness.
International House, at the corner of Marine Drive
and the West Mall, makes a constant effort to ease the
difficult transition for UBC's foreign students.
Canadian student volunteers communicate by letter
with foreign students prior to their arrival, explaining
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what life in Canada is like. Foreign students are met
by student volunteers at the airport and are helped to
find accommodations.
Upon arrival they are given information booklets
and guided tours of the campus and a Canadian
student will accompany them through registration if
desired. Throughout September a reception and
orientation program on everything from Canadian
government to what to do on a date with a Canadian
girl is conducted.
Student volunteers provide coaching in English and
throughout the year the UBC German, Spanish,
French and Italian language associations hold their
weekly meetings at I.H.
Cultural evenings and other special activities are
held throughout the year and attempt to attract both
foreign and Canadian students. I.H. is not a ghetto for
foreign students, but exists to ease the initial
adjustment for foreign students as they become
integrated into general campus activities.
I.H. director David Roxburgh, a program assistant,
and three part-time student staff assistants, together
with some 25 student volunteers, integrate these and
many other activities for some 350 new foreign
students each year. UBC's total foreign student
population is about 1,000, making I.H. one of the
busiest and most interesting spots on campus.
A QUICK
GUIDE TO
FAST RELIEF
Student Counselling Service—located on the
West Mall adjacent to the Fraser River parking
lot, provides hour-long counselling sessions on
academic and career planning problems. For an
appointment call 228-3811.
Student Health Services—located in the
Wesbrook Building on the corner of University
Boulevard and East Mall, provides the same care
normally given by a regular family physician.
The clinic is open from 8:15 a.m.—4:45 p.m.,
Monday to Friday and a 26-bed hospital is open
24 hours a day, seven days a week. For further
information call 228-2151.
Psychiatric Service—also located in the
Wesbrook Building, offers group or individual
counselling. For an appointment call 228-2151.
Dean of Women's Office—located in room 456
on the fourth floor of the Buchanan Building,
where women can expect to find assistance for
their special problems. Drop in or call
228-2415.
International House—located at the corner of
Marine Drive and West Mall, is a meeting place
for UBC's foreign students and Canadian
students alike where activities with an
international flavor take place year-round. Drop
in or call 228-3264.
Student Ombudsman—located on the main
floor of SUB, is available to assist with student
grievances from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
weekdays. Call 228-3706.
Residence dons and fellows—located in their
individual suites in all residences and available
almost any time for talks.
University chaplains—are available in their
office on the main floor of SUB at noon hours.
Some have private offices on campus and some
do not. All will be glad to meet with students
on campus by prior arrangement. Their
telephone numbers are listed in the yellow
pages of "Bird Calls."
STUDENT OMBUDSMAN. The office of the Student
Ombudsman was established by the Student Council
to safeguard the rights of students within their own
student government hierarchy.
The Ombudsman's role quickly broadened to
include going to bat for students who felt they were
being unfairly treated by UBC's administration.
Last year's Ombudsman, Bob Gilchrist, said that
the main student problem is getting caught up in red
tape and being treated as a number rather than an
individual. He also said, however, that students often
fail to comprehend the administrative staff's
difficulties. "Most administrative staff really try to
give the student the benefit of the doubt," he said. "I
haven't found any ogres in the administration."
The Ombudsman's role in opening up channels of
communication between the student body and the
administration so that student complaints can receive
individual consideration is an important one, Bob
said.
He also said that students with problems often
don't know where to go to find the answers. He
advocates the establishment of a central information
office in the Student Union Building where students
can be directed to where help is available.
Advice on such matters will continue to be one of
the functions of the Ombudsman's office, open from
8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. weekdays on the main floor of
SUB. This year's Ombudsman is Sean McHugh.
LEGAL AID. Senior UBC law students provide free
legal counselling for students with legal problems. A
panel of law students is available in the legal aid
office on the main floor of SUB from 12:20—1:30
p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Law
students cannot take cases to court but can advise
students as to what legal recourse is available to them.
RESIDENT DONS. Some 62 resident dons and
resident fellows are employed by the University for
both the men's and women's residences, averaging
approximately one don and resident fellow for every
100 students.
The dons and resident fellows, whose living
quarters are located in campus dormitories, are there
as advisors, not as disciplinarians.
They act as liaison between student committees
planning group activities within the residences and
the housing administration, but their main^^
involvement is with students on an individual basis,^^
acting as advisors on the wide range of problems that
perplex students.
They give advice on study programs, where to go
with an academic problem, refer students with more
serious emotional problems to the Health Services
and although they are careful not to act as a crutch,
are "there" to listen to students who simply need
someone to talk to.
UNIVERSITY CHAPLAINS. Representatives of eight
of the major religious denominations maintain
university chaplains at UBC, all of whose telephone
numbers are listed in the yellow pages of the student
telephone directory, "Bird Calls".
The Student Counselling Services survey showed
that an insignificant number of students seek
counselling through church resources and contact
with chaplains confirmed this. As one put it: "There
is not much traffic."
Students are disaffected with institutionalized
religion, believing that they know the answers they
are going to be given before they hear them, one
clergyman suggested. Students often don't seek help
through established channels, simply because they
ARE the established channels, he added.
When students do turn to chaplains they want to
discuss questions of identity: Who am I? Where am I
going? As one chaplain joked: "Students want
somebody to listen while they talk about
themselves."
For a student who needs a listener, UBC's
chaplains have more time to devote than most.
4/UBC Reports/ September 25, 1969 Two members of the University of B.C.'s faculty
of commerce have begun a detailed analysis of a
survey which promises to remove much of the
guesswork on the subject of student attitudes toward
the university and society. Nearly a thousand
students from a cross-section of UBC's faculties and
departments answered an eight-page questionnaire
compiled by associate professors Dr. Vance F.
Mitchell and Dr. Larry F. Moore of the commerce
faculty. The first results have now been analysed and
are revealed in the following tape-recording.
UBC REPORTS: Dr. Mitchell, can you tell us
something about the background of the survey and
your involvement in it?
DR. MITCHELL: The survey grew out of the
Jrather widespread concern that prevailed around the
campus last fall following the publication of the
student brief "Education at the University: Fair
Weather or Foul?" There was a very real concern on
the part of a number of students that in the absence
of solid information about student feelings on various
things the administration or the student body might
take unwise and precipitate action.
A small group of students headed by Fred Grauer,
an honors student in economics, who is now at the
University of Chicago starting his Ph.D. as a Woodrow
Wilson fellow, approached us to see if we would act
as resource people in a student generated survey. We
agreed to this. Unfortunately, they were unable to
find a student who could prepare and mount a
survey. So Fred then asked me if I woud undertake
\\o do the survey for them.
SCHOLARLY PURPOSES
I agreed to attempt to put together a team of
faculty people who would run a survey in \
cooperation with the AMS, but with the
understanding that we were in search of information
for the university community as a whole, and for
general scholarly purposes. Larry Moore and Jim
Maxwell, who is now at Queen's, agreed to
collaborate. Alf Prentiss, who is one of our
statisticians in the faculty of commerce agreed to
help in the preparation of the sample, and in the
analysis of the results. With this understanding, we
then started to work with Fred Grauer in putting
together a survey that would tap a number of
different student attitudes.
UBC REPORTS: Can you briefly describe the
specific areas that you chose to investigate?
DR. MITCHELL: Fundamentally we were
concerned with the question: "What are students'
aspirations?" both with respect to UBC and to their
later life. Growing out of these came questions on the
specific areas of discontent or satisfaction in the
university and in our broader society. We included
such things as university housing. On a different level,
we asked questions about the role of the university,
what should an ideal university consist of, what do
students think professors should do, and to what
degree do the students feel they should participate in
the government of the university, both academic and
administrative.
DR. MOORE: I might add one thing here. When
Fred Grauer's group of students came to us to seek
advice on the development of the questionnaire, they
suggested a number of areas of concern. So the
questionnaire wasn't something that grew totally out
of the minds of a couple of professors. It evolved
from the concerns of this student group, which
represented several UBC faculties and departments.
WHAT
STUDENTS
THINK
Commerce professors Moore (left) and Mitchell discuss student survey
DR. MITCHELL: I think it's appropriate at this
point to give credit to the tremendous number of
people and offices and agencies at UBC that have
been involved in this study. The Alma Mater Society
undertook, at Fred Grauer's request and by vote of
their executive, to underwrite the cost of printing the
questionnaire and mailing it. Fred Grauer's group
provided many man-hours of work in the tedious job
of stuffing and mailing, and participated in the coding
of returned questionnaires.
The Registrar and his office generously provided
free computer time to poll our systematic, stratified,
sample of students from within the whole population,
and provided us with the mailing labels at no charge.
The research committee of the Faculty of Graduate
Studies has underwritten the many hours that my
research assistant, Henry Pold, has put in this summer
in reducing the data and getting it into manageable
form and helping with the preliminary analyses.
Nineteen hundred questionnaires went out, and 41
per cent were returned.
UBC REPORTS: You regard that as a good
return?
DR. MITCHELL: I certainly do. I think the fact
that we got such a high return is a direct reflection of
the interest of the student body in the matters that
were contained within the questionnaire.
UBC REPORTS: I understand that one section of
the questionnaire has been analyzed over the summer
on the computer. What aspects of students attitudes
have you chosen to analyze initially?
FIRST ANALYSIS
DR. MOORE: The first analysis attempts to
provide, in a general way, some insights into the way
UBC students feel about a number of important
questions: 1. What sorts of things do students expect
to be important in their lives? 2. What aspects of
university administrative activity are of most and
least concern to students? 3. Is an adequate amount
of governmental financing provided for universities in
British Columbia? 4. What is the role of a university?,
including it's objectives, the curriculum and programs
provided, influence in students' private lives, and so
on. 5. What would an ideal university be like? And 6.
What is the proper role of the university professor?
Now when you view this block of questions
collectively, they reveal a number of rather
interesting things about the maturity level and the
seriousness of UBC students.
UBC REPORTS: Can we take the questions in
order? Your first was "What sorts of things do
students expect to be important in their lives?"
18 AREAS LISTED
DR. MOORE: The questionnaire listed eighteen
areas which the students were asked to rate as
important, somewhat important, or not at all
important. The list included such things as politics,
religion, socializing with friends, bringing about
change, community activities and so on. Detailed
definitions of the various areas were not given, rather
the areas were specified by one- to three-word
phrases, such as a career, an occupation or bringing
about change. It was left entirely to the respondents
to interpret the various stimulus words and phrases.
These eighteen items we might call life value
variables. By far the most important life value seemed
to be self-realization. Over 82 per cent of the students
checking this item said it was important, almost 15
per cent considered it as somewhat important, and
less than 3 per cent considered it not important.
Second in overall importance was a career or
occupation. About 68 per cent of the students
checked this. A fairly close third area of importance
was intellectual interests. These are variables which
the students feel are important values to be achieved
in their lives.
UBC REPORTS: What did they regard as being of
least importance in their lives?
DR. MOORE: We seem to hear a lot these days
about students being radically oriented, or given over
Continued on page eight
See SURVEY
UBC Reports/ September 25, 1969/5 DISPLAY DRAWS
Canadian and American art critics dragged out just
about every superlative they could muster this past
summer to describe the collection of west coast Indian^
art sent to Montreal by the UBC Museum of
Anthropology.
The 5,000-piece exhibit, trundled across Canada at the
request of Montreal's Mayor Jean Drapeau in three
freight cars, was designed and displayed by Vancouver
artist Rudy Kovachs in the former United Nations
building on the site of Expo '67, which has continued to
operate annually under the title Terre des Hommes, or.
Man and His World.
Depending on which way you look at it, the display is
both a source of pride and shame for British Columbians.
Pride that UBC had managed, on very slim resources,
to accumulate a 53,000,000 collection of unique and
irreplaceable west coast Indian artifacts, and shame ^fc
the bulk of it normally gathers dust in dingy storage
rooms in the UBC Library because there are no adequate i
facilities for displaying it.
A trifle wistfully, Mrs. Audrey Hawthorn, curator of
UBC's Museum of Anthropology, said one of the main
reasons for sending the collection to Montreal was "to see
how it all looked together."
The intricate beauty of UBC's collection of the arts of *
west coast Indians drew thousands of persons this past
summer to the Terre des Hommes display on the former
site of Expo '67 in Montreal. Below is an example- one
of four possessed by the UBC museum of
anthropology of a Kwakiutl painted dance curtaln^k\
their winter dance houses, Indian actors changed costume
behind the curtain. It serves much the same purpose as
the curtain in a modern theatre. At top left a Kwakiutl
housepost carving guards the entrance to a room
6/UBC Reports/September 25, 1969 RAVE REVIEWS
Piecing together the UBC collection has been a labour
of love of more than 20 years for Mrs. Hawthorn and her
husband. Professor Harry Hawthorn, of UBC's
anthropology and sociology department.
The Hawthorns, encouraged by UBC's then president,
Dr. Norman MacKenzie, began organizing the museum in
1947. Over the years, with the help of generous grants
from Dr. Walter Koerner, chairman of UBC's Board of
Governors; Dr. H.R. MacMillan, the Leon and Thea
Koerner Foundation and others, the Indian collection
began to take shape through purchases and donations.
\n 1950, Kwakiutl chief Mungo Martin, at UBC to
carve some poles for the campus outdoor display at
Totem Park, became interested in the Hawthorns' efforts
and began urging other Indians to send material to the
museum. The gift and purchase program came at just the
right time. Since 1950 Indian art has been discovered by
collegers and the prices on the international market have
soarS^
The UBC artifact collection has drawn graduate
students and scholars to UBC from all over the world and
also serves as a rich resource for undergraduate teaching.
Montreal Mayor Drapeau also knows a good thing
when he sees it. He has requested that the exhibit be held
over for the winter in Montreal for display again next
summer.
aontaining a wall of masks used during winter dances.
Detail from the face of the housepost carving appears on
the front page of this issue of UBC Reports. At left are a
group of items used for measuring the wealth of Haida,
Kwakiutl and Tlingit Indians of the west coast. The
ChilA^kblanket lit the background was worn like a shawl
by tribal chieftans and symbolized great wealth. The
Haida carvings in the right foreground represent family
lineages and the Kwakiutl figure at left is an effigy figure
of a chief.
This massive carving is one of four houseposts
: used by northwest coast Indians to support
i the roof beams of family dwellings which
might house 20 to 30 related people. Several
of these huge carvings from UBC's collection
stand in the rotunda of the former United
Nations Building on the former Expo Y> 7 site
in Montreal. Those in the display were carved
by artists of the Haida and Kwakiutl tribes,,
known as the people of the potlatch.
UBC Reports/September 25, 1969/7 d U Iv-VE T Continued from page five
to violenri^ftwfl-^a--jaac|err^o£ompletely restructure
society. Only 39 per cent of the students answering
considered bringing about change as being
"important." Over-all, bringing about change ranked
13th in importance out of the 18 items. It came
behind such areas as vocational pursuits, cultural and
artistic interests and humanitarian ideals, but it came
ahead of financial interests, sports and athletics,
politics, community activities and religion.
It is important to note, however, that another 47
per cent of the students rated bringing about change
as "somewhat important," while less than 15 per cent
attached no importance to this concept.
It's rather interesting, looking back at these 18 life
value variables as a whole, that students are quite
interested in the kinds of things that provide them
with a means of becoming or realizing something that
is important to them in life. Career and occupational \
interest was quite strong as well as intellectual i
interests. These are central life values and seem to be
much more important than such things as financial
interests, sports and athletics, and religion.
DR. MITCHELL: There are a few very interesting
exceptions to this pattern, however. Commerce
students, perhaps predictably, ranked financial ,
interest as their second most important area. Most
students in the other faculties attached far less
importance to financial interests, ranking it 10th or
lower out of the 18 areas.
Education students considered helping others as
their second most important life interest. Medical
students ranked humanitarian ideals as their most
important area with family affairs and helping others
coming a close second and third respectively.
The inference is that most students are at UBC to
prepare themselves for a better life and useful careers,
and this impression is enhanced further when we
examine the responses concerning areas of the
university with which students are most concerned.
SELECTING TEACHERS
The area of greatest concern to the students was
the set of factors that are considered by a department
or a faculty in selecting new professors. Of almost
equal importance, and I think this is noteworthy in
view of the recent decision of Senate, was their
concern about the admissions policy of the
university. Over 65 per cent of the students ranked
these two items as five or greater on a one to seven
scale of importance.
The two next most important areas were the
step-by-step procedures followed by the department
or faculty in securing administrative approval for new
courses or coucse changes, general curriculum
modifications, and the factors considered by the
department or faculty in the evaluation of professors,
especially for promotion.
DR. MOORE: Students want to learn, they're
obviously here to learn, they're concerned with the
curriculum, they're concerned about the quality of
instruction and they view the university as being a
method of learning something about life in general.
But certainly they expect high quality instruction and
a curriculum tailored to their needs. And as we said
earlier, their life interest pattern seems to indicate
that they're quite high on occupational and career
needs.
UBC REPORTS: Did this first analysis include
student response on whether or not the existing
curriculum or the existing way of doing things at the
university met their needs?
DR. MITCHELL: That aspect we will report on in
more detail later but I would like to say one thing.
Students are a long way from satisfied with the way
things are being done in the university today. They
have some very serious and very intense gripes over
the calibre of the instruction they're receiving and
what seems to them, in many instances, to be a too
rigid and anachronistic curriculum.
DR. MOORE: I don't know whether we
mentioned areas of least concern and perhaps I could
do that quickly at this point. The least important
aspects of university administrative activity as far as
the students are concerned, in decreasing order of
importance, were the policies of the university food
services, the role and functions of the Canadian
Union of Students, the Faculty Association, the
financial condition of the university food services,
and the relationship between the Alma Mater Society
and the Canadian Union of Students.
In all of these areas more than 60 per cent of the
students rated the importance as 4 or less on our 7
8/UBC Reports/September 25, 1969
point scale, which would indicate that some
university ancillary service activities, and even student
organizations, are not of central concern.
DR. MITCHELL: The picture we keep getting over
and over is that students are much more concerned
with the factors that affect the availability and
quality of their university training than with those
areas that relate only indirectly, if at all, to the
educational process. Perhaps here is a good point to
introduce the results of question three, student
opinion of the level of financial support provided for
B.C. universities.
UBC students have very definite opinions on this
question. Only nine out of 917 respondents who
checked this question, or just under 1 per cent, felt
that the government's contribution was "more than
adequate." And only 9y2 per cent thought the
contribution to be "barely adequate." Nearly 90 per
schools and programs should be a part of a university
curriculum.
This response pattern did not arise because of the
large number of respondents from the various
professional programs. Our sample was stratified so
that we gathered data from students in all of the
major departments and faculties across the campus.
When responses from students in separate faculties
were examined, the same general pattern emerged.
In line with the relatively high importance
attached to one's career or occupation, more than 89
per cent of the students felt (56 per cent strongly)
that a major role of a university should be to impart
knowledge to students.
Another major goal of UBC students seems to be
the achievement of independence as functioning,
adult members of society. This search for
independence was shown by the fact that over 82 per
MOORE: Students expect high quality instruction
and a curriculum tailored to their needs, and their
life interest pattern indicates that they are high on
occupational and career needs.
cent of students responding to the survey said that
governmental support of the university is inadequate.
UBC REPORTS: The fourth question deals with
the student view of the role of the university,
including it's objectives and the curriculum and
programs provided, and the influence that these
matters have on students' private lives.
DR. MOORE: The results here are rather
interesting and relate back to the preoccupation that
students have about getting an education. Their
reactions to the questionnaire items concerning the
role of the university reveal a very strong interest in
getting a good education. More than 73 per cent
strongly agreed, and over 23 per cent agreed to some
extent, with the idea that a major role of a university
should be to teach students to think for themselves.
Less than 4 per cent of the respondents disagreed
with this idea. Although the role of professional
schools and programs such as engineering, education,
commerce and forestry on university campuses has
been severely questioned and criticised by various
radical groups, approximately two-thirds of the
respondents felt strongly that such professional
cent of the students agreed that a university has no
responsibility for, and hence should stay out of,
students' private lives.
On the other hand, students were quite egalitarian
in their outlook. Almost 86 per cent agreed, and 45
per cent agreed strongly, that a university should be a
place where equal opportunity is afforded to all
students, regardless of level. I think it's also
interesting to note here that graduate students were
not judged to deserve any special consideration or
advantages.
Students also display a certain amount of interest
in the broader role of the university. Over 83 per cent
(40 per cent strongly) felt that a major role of the
university should be to advance the state of
knowledge through study and research, and over 75
per cent (36 per cent strongly) thought that the
university should attempt to change the attitudes of
society. That pretty well summarizes the findings on
the role of the university.
UBC REPORTS: And finally the sixth
question—that of the role of the university professor
within the higher education system. What have
students to say on this score? DR. MITCHELL: Well, as we look at students'
conception of the function of a university professor,
we find a pattern emerging that is almost identical to
the one that we've been describing thus far. More
than 86 per cent of the students felt that it was
important, more than 11 per cent somewhat
important, for professors to concentrate on creating
highly-motivating classroom learning situations.
The next three elements of the professorial role
which the students perceived as most important were,
respectively: concentrating on the development of all
students in an equal manner, helping students with
their academic and career goals, and advancing
knowledge through research and publication.
Rather interestingly, aiding students in contacting
prospective employers was seen as one of the least
important aspects of the professor's job. Over 45 per
cent of the students considered this to be not at all
important, whereas only 15 per cent attached
importance to this idea.
UBC REPORTS: Was there anything in the
question or the study to indicate that students
regarded it as important that the university create
conditions where employers would be able to contact
students?
DR. MOORE: No, but I think that's a rather
interesting analysis of this particular question. I
imagine that students generally would feel that the
placement function is one that deserves a recognized
place on the college campus. This certainly seems to
be borne out by the fact that students are certainly
using the facilities of the placement office.
DR. MITCHELL: There's another aspect of the
students' concept of the professor's role that I think
is of some interest here because there's a great deal of
discussion around campus concerning the
unavailability of faculty members to students. We
^ttned the impression from the data that students,
^mile they very much want us to do a good job of
teaching, don't seem to be very willing to develop
close contacts with faculty members.
TAKE INITIATIVE
When we asked them how often they see any
professor about such things as their performance in
his course or the subject matter of his course or
academic advice, well over 50 per cent replied that
they rarely or never saw the professor. Less than 15
per cent said that they often did, and the remaining
students said they sometimes saw processors.
Practically none answered "frequently," and yet
when asked if they wanted closer contact with their
«fessors, over 76 per cent replied "yes." We would
rpret these responses, rightly or wrongly, to mean
that students expect the professors to take much of
the initiative in building contacts between the two.
UBC REPORTS: We've got a bit ahead of
ourselves here and skipped question five—the ideal
university from the students point of view.
DR. MITCHELL: Here we asked the students to
choose between 22 pairs of items in describing what
they considered an ideal university. Most of the items
are not directly comparable with the specific,
UBC-oriented things we've been discussing so far. The
choices made by the students, however, are quite
compatible with the picture that has emerged thus
,, far. They were almost unanimous in their preference
for a co-educational university. Only four of our
respondents, which is well under one-half of one per
cent, preferred a university where all the students are
of the same sex. Over 94 per cent preferred a
university with little "snob" appeal, as opposed to
one with a high snob appeal, and almost 92 per cent
wanted a university with a scholarly, academic
reputation, rather than one that they would
. characterize as a "party" school.
Almost 90 per cent preferred a publicly supported
university, with graduate and professional schools
(you see this theme recurring again), and where
emphasis is placed on independent study, as opposed
to a private university with no graduate or
professional schools and little emphasis on
independent study. They overwhelmingly preferred a
closely-knit university community, rather than a
*
relatively impersonal one. They preferred a campus
located in or near a city, as opposed to one located in
a small town or in the country.
DR. MOORE: Along with this preference for an
urban university there is also a preference for a
predominantly residential campus, as opposed to a
campus where most students commute from home.
* I might throw in an interesting little sidelight here.
One of the questions had to do with the ways
students got to and from school, and over 15 per cent
indicated that they come to university by
hitch-hiking, while about 10 per cent ride the bus.
The largest number, around 47 per cent, drive their
own private cars. It's rather interesting that such a
large number hitch-hike to and from university.
There is also a preference for an opportunity to
live away from home. It would seem that students
want to establish their independence from the home
environment, to get involved with university life and
enjoy the facilities and opportunities provided by a
nearby city.
The students, therefore, are looking for the
university to provide them with a total educational
environment which would include the opportunity to
live away from home, to take advantage of the
university facilities ancl the facilities of a large city
nearby.
DR. MITCHELL: To go on with that picture, the
emphasis that's emerged is on independent study. The
students and their ideal university would have mostly
group discussion classes, as opposed to large lectures.
I think this is a universal preference among faculty as
well. In addition, they wanted a university composed
of students with a wide range of intelligences, as
opposed to one made up of only an intellectual elite.
Approximately two-thirds preferred a semester
system and emphasis on a broad, general program of
learning, relatively little competitiveness for grades
and recognition, selection of students on a basis of
marks and admission scores and a de-emphasis of
inter-collegiate athletics. Only two-thirds would prefer
a quarter system, emphasis on a specialized area of
learning, a high level of competition for grades and
recognition, and the selection of students on the basis
of personal qualities. There was little preference
indicated for big-time inter-collegiate athletics.
By a very small majority, students preferred not to
have fraternities or sororities in the ideal university.
They expressed only a slight preference for not
having letter grades as opposed to the pass-fail
system, for an experimental rather than a traditional
approach, for campus activities rather than
off-campus politics, and for a small sti"1—*'" ' —
about. 1,000, as opposed to a large
present 20,000 plus type of activity
quite a bit ambivalent, or divided, in
this last group of points and we get
rather parochial attitude toward the areas that are not
directly related to getting an education.
DR. MOORE: This came out very clearly on
certain items dealing with the relationship of the
university to the broader community and society.
Two-thirds of the students thought that this
university should try to satisfy society's needs and
demands, rather than building an international
reputation, yet only a slight majority (58 to 42 per
cent) thought that the business community had the
right to expect the university to train a significant
number of persons for jobs in industry.
This latter attitude would seem to follow naturally
from the students preference for a publicly-supported
university, relatively free from outside pressures.
Although the students want to prepare themselves
for careers, they also want to be free to pick and
choose their field, and to pick and choose what they
learn in that field. Here we are back to the theme of
desire for independence on the part of the students.
Ambivalence is also brought out by the responses
to items dealing with the role of the professor in the
community. More than 54 per cent of the students
disagreed that university professors should be
encouraged to seek public office in order that they
may directly influence the course of societal
development, and less than 53 per cent agreed that
professors should be encouraged to seek
opportunities for public service in order to influence
the course of development. That professors should
participate broadly in community activities was
considered somewhat important by only 51 per cent,
while 41 per cent considered this to be of very little
importance.
It's rather interesting that the students attach
more importance to the role of the professor at the
university. They're perhaps less concerned with what
the university does downtown or in regard to political
MITCHELL: Our data tells us quite clearly that
most students are here with a high sense of purpose.
They want a great deal of freedom to make a better
society and they want the freedom to be able to
criticize.
or community activities. Probably the students feel
that the first place of the professor is teaching at the
university, as opposed to other kinds of activities. We
also noted, however, that the role of the professor in
research was recognised as important.
DR. MITCHELL: This lack of concern for the
professor as a person who seeks to influence the
outside world seems to us to illustrate that perhaps as
much of the town versus gown rivalry rests between
students and town as it does on a lack of
communication between town and faculty, although I
think there's a very real communications gap between
the campus and the broader community on a number
of these areas that we've been looking into in the
survey.
UBC REPORTS: Is it possible to summarize the
analysis you've done so far?
DR. MITCHELL: There are two things I'd like to
offer. First, despite the picture of the university as a
hot bed of incipient revolt against society, our data
tell us quite clearly that most students are here with a
high sense of purpose, and we feel they deserve
support in their efforts. The second thing which
emerges is that while these young people are preparing themselves to make a better society, and
want a great deal of freedom in their efforts to do
this, they want the freedom to be able to criticise. In
the final analysis they see themselves as agents of
gradual change, and they are not interested in rapid,
or a revolutionary overthrowing of the present
system.
DR. MOORE: I think that's true, And we have to
remember that we're looking at a sample which
purports to represent the total university population
rather than any given splinter group or any smaller
group. This sample hopes to represent the broad
population of students at UBC.
DR. MITCHELL: There's one thing I'd like to
emphasize especially here, and that is that the sample
was a stratified proportion of people in various
faculties of the university and in various years of
attendence. Our response, while it is only 41 per cent
of the total number of questionnaires, has an amazing
resemblence to the characteristics of the total sample
that we sought to obtain in the first place. Now, as in
every survey, we do not have an index of the
attitudes of those who did not respond to the
questionnaire, so that our inferences are based on the
responses that were received, and we must always
exercise caution.
But I would regard the 938 replies as being
representative of a good majority of the students at
UBC.
UBC Reports/September 25, 1969/9 DR. VIKTOR FRANKL
DR. GEORGE BACH
Scholarly Community Tapped
For UBC Extension Programs
The UBC extension department is tapping the
international community of scholars in an effort to
bring some of today's most outstanding thinkers to
Vancouver.
Within the framework of two themes—"Quest for
Liberation" and "Explorations in the Human
Potential"—extension's continuing education program
in the humanities is providing Vancouver audiences
with opportunity to learn more about the current
cultural revolution in the West and its implications
for the individual and society.
"Kenneth Boulding's concept of the 'invisible
college,' that assemblage of thinkers who share a
common vision of the transitional times through
which we are passing and who are devoting
themselves to contributing toward its fulfillment, best
AN IMPORTANT
NOTE TO
OUR READERS
The University of B.C. wants to ensure that
you will receive your copy of UBC Reports in
the months ahead.
You can help us to keep our mailing lists
accurate by doing the following:
1. Check the mailing label on the front page
of this issue.
2. If the label is incorrectly addressed, return
the label to the UBC Information Office
together with a note of your new address.
The appropriate corrections can be made to
our mailing lists only if you return the mailing
label with your new address.
And, of course, we look forward to hearing
from you if you have any comments to make
on articles or have suggestions for material
which you would like to see in the paper.
explains the spirit of these programs," said Sol Kort,
administrator of humanities programs for the
extension department and originator of the two
series.
"In an effort to connect with the network that is
encompassed by Boulding's 'invisible college' these
programs are designed to bring into the community
new points of view and unfamiliar sources of
information," he said.
Since January, 1968, ten members of the
"invisible college" have headed extension
lecture-discussions and symposiums before more than
4,800 persons in Vancouver.
The Quest for Liberation series will continue this
autumn with a program involving Dr. Philip Rieff,
Benjamin Franklin Professor of Sociology, University
of Pennsylvania, author of Freud: The Mind of the
10/UBC Reports/September 25, 1969
Moralist and The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses
of Faith After Freud, founding editor of Daedalus,
the journal of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and a former visiting fellow at the Centre
for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Santa
Barbara. His topic, October 31—November 1, will be
Culture and Revolution.
Two programs in the Explorations in the Human
Potential series will be held in October. Dr. Viktor E.
Frankl, internationally known as the founder of
logotherapy; head, department of neurology,
Poliklinik Hospital, Vienna, and professor of
psychiatry and neurology at the University of Vienna,
will head a lecture-discussion on Man in Search of
Meaning (final date not set at printing).
The second program, October 23, will be An
Evening With Dr. George Bach: About the
Therapeutic Use of Aggression—Dealing with Man's
Hostility to Man. Dr. Bach is director. Institute of
Group Therapy, Beverley Hills, California; one of the
originators of the "marathon" group experience, and
author of Intensive Group Psychotherapy and The
Intimate Enemy.
Distinguished visitors in the Quest for Liberation
series have included: Dr. Huston Smith, professor of
philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Prof. Kenneth Boulding, economist and professor,
Institute of Behavioral Science, University of
Colorado; Dr. Abraham Kaplan, teacher, philosopher,
professor of philosophy, University of Michigan and
organizer of the Fifth East-West Philosophers'
Conference, Honolulu, Summer, 1969; Dr. Ashley
Montagu, anthropologist, social biologist and
professor of anthropology, Princeton University; Dr.
Alan Watts, a philosopher noted as the West's leading
interpreter of Eastern philosophy and thought, and
Dr. Theodore Roszak, chairman of the History of
Western Culture Program, California State College
and editor of The Dissenting Academy.
The theme Explorations in the Human Potential
has been the focus of programs with Dr. Frederick S.
Perls, psychiatrist and founder of Gestalt therapy; Dr.
Edward Maupin, co-director of the residential
program at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California;
Dr. Vincent E. Giuliano, dean, Graduate School of
Information and Library Studies, State University of
New York, and Dr. George I. Brown, associate
professor of education. University of California at
Santa Barbara.
Volume 15, No. 16-Sept. 25,
1969. Published by the University of British Columbia and
distributed free. J.A. Banham,
Editor; Barbara Claghorn, Production Supervisor. Letters to the Editor
should be addressed to the Information Office,
UBC, Vancouver 8, B.C.
MILLIONS
SPENT ON
SERVICES
The University of British Columbia spent nearly
$35,000,000 in the fiscal year which ended March 31,
1969, for the purchase of books, equipment and services.
The bulk of the funds-nearly $31,000,000-was spent
in Canada and between 11 and 12 per cent of the
total—some $4,000,000—was spent in foreign countries.
The figures on UBC's purchases during the last fiscal
year are contained in the University's annual financial
statements published in accordance with the Public Bodies
Financial Information Act, passed by the provincial
government in 1961. Copies of the document are available
for $3 plus tax per copy in the UBC Bookstore.
The report also shows that the University pays wages
and salaries to its employed and academic staff of almost
$37,000,000 and assists graduate and undergraduate
students with direct financial awards and grants-in-aid of
more than $4,200,000.
UBC's deputy president and bursar, Mr. William White,
said that much of the expenditure for services and slumps
is made locally which together with salaries paid to fH^y
and staff means that UBC makes a significant contribution
to the business activity in British Columbia and particularly
Vancouver.
All these items, he said, add up to almost $77,000,000
which represents the bulk of UBC's expenditures.
UBC is forced to make foreign purchases only because
certain equipment or services are not available in Canada,
according to - Mr. H.A. LeMarquand, the University
purchasing agent.
Generally, he said, foreign purchases are for equipment
in the fields of medicine and science. The Canadian market"
is so small for most complex scientific equipment that it
would not be economical for Canadian firms to
manufacture it, he said.
UBC's main sources of funds for the past fiscal year^^re
the provincial government—$37,000,000; sl^^nt
fees—$10,000,000; sponsored and assisted research grants
(mostly from outside B.C.)-$11,000,000; gifts, grants and
bequests-$7 ,000,000 and the federal
government—$2,700,000. (See table at top of page
opposite).
The financial statements also disclose that UBC owes
more than $16,000,000 for capital construction of
residences or self-liquidating projects.
Mr. White said that UBC's ability to obtain bank loans
and to borrow funds from Central Mortgage and Housing
Corporation has permitted UBC to develop residences
without encroaching on the limited capital funds available
from the public purse.
Loan interest rates range from five and one-eighth per
cent to six and three-eighths per cent from CMHC and from
six per cent to seven and a half per cent for bank loans.
The borrowed funds are applied to revenue-producing
services. Funds generated by the services pay for operating
costs and the repayment of the loan principal and interest.
* * *
UBC's ancillary enterprise operations generated more
than $6.2 million dollars in revenue in the fiscal year whiclj
ended March 31. (A financial summary of ancillary
enterprise operations is set out in the bottom table on the
page opposite).
Four services—the Bookstore and Post Office, campus
and residence food services and housing—broke even in the
past year in keeping with the University policy of operating
ancillary services on a self-supporting basis.
UBC Bookstore operations included a $98,485 item set
aside for construction of a new bookstore which is now in
the planning stage.
Two ancillary operations—the Health Service Hospital
and the UBC Research Farm at Oyster River on Vancouver
Island—showed small profits totalling $2,350.
Mr. White said these small amounts, which revert to
University general revenues, offset deficits incurred by
these operations in previous years. UBC's CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FUND TRANSACTIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
MARCH 31, 1969
I
Endowment
INCOME
OPERATING FUNDS
and
tudent Loan
Capital
Total of
all
General
Specific
S
Purposes
Purposes
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
Operating and Capital Grants — Canada
$
$
$ - $
$
67,370
$ 67,370
( > Health Sciences
Centre
-
-
-
1,850,794
1,850,794
Triumf Project
-
763,000
763,000
— British Columb"
a 31,186,572
-
31,186,572
5,000,000
36,186,572
Health Sciences
Centre
1,220,477
1,220,477
Student Fees
10,038,684
-
10,038,684
-
10,038,684
Services
1,356,110
579,929
1,936,039
1,936,039
Endowment Income
-
1,045,742
1,045,742
-
-
1,045,742
Sponsored or Assisted Research
11,365,670
11,365,670
-
11,365,670
Gifts, Grants and Bequests
2,107,271
2,107,271
1,814,919
2,764,748
6,686,938
t Miscellaneous
Total Income
265,539
$42,846,905
106,779
$15,205,391
372,318
-
139,546
511,805,935
511,864
$71,673,150
$58,052,296 $
1,814,919 i
Ancillary Enterprises (Net)
2,350
"
2,350
-
2,350
$42,849,255
$15,205,391
$58,054,646 $
1,814,919 $11,805,935
$71,675,500
EXPENDITURE
Academic
$30,552,081
$ 1,338,840
$31,890,921
-
$31,890,921
Library
3,483,157
155,172
3,638,329
-
-
3,638,329
• 'Sponsored or Assisted Research
( 80,754 )
10,785,033
10,704,279
-
10,704,279
Administration
1,673,382
6,828
1,680,210
-
3,823
1,684,033
Student Services
735,304
253,378
988,682
-
988,682
Plant Maintenance
5,581,586
93,013
5,674,599
-
-
5,674,599
Scholarships and Bursaries
809,699
1,132,026
1,941,725
-
-
1,941,725
General Expenses
148,308
-
148,308
1,839
8,005
158,152
Land, Buildings and Equipment
^^z^m Expenditure
"
8,513,670
8,513,670
$42,902,763
$13,764,290
$56,667,053 $
1,839 $
8,525,498
$65,194,390
'Excess of Expenditure over Income
for the year ended March 31, 1969
$ 53,508
$
$
$
Net Additions (Decrease) to Fund Balances
1,441,101
1,813,080
3,280,437
Reclassification of Funds
-
80,573
(
80,573 )
-
Fund Balances at April 1, 1968
168,156
4,646,383
4,758,916
1,624,618
' "Fund Balances at March 31, 1969
as per Statement of Financial Condition
$ 114,648
$ 6,168,057
$
6,491,423 $
4,905,055
STATEMENT OF UBC's ANCILLARY ENTERPRISE OPERATIONS
.„
FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 1969
Bookstore
University
Total
INCOME
and Campus Residences Housing
Health Service
Farm-
All
Post Office Food Services Food Services Services
Hospital
Oyster River
Sources
Sales
$2,111,927 $1
125,983 $
78,067 $ 47,216
$ -
$115,922
$3,479,115
Rentals and Meal Passes
-
1,066,583 1,535,888
-
1,660
2,604,131
Hospital Revenue
139,635
139,635
$2,111,927 $1
125,983 $1,144,650 $1,583,104
$139,635
$117,582
$6,222,881
EXPENDITURE
1 Cost of Bookstore Supplies and Food Purchases
$1,705,766 S
529,485 $
586,766 $
$ -
$ -
$2,822,017
1 Salaries and Wages
209,712
362,444
373,908 435,738
108,238
51,919
1,541,959
1 Fringe Benefits (Including Board Allowance)
11,254
24,442
23,598 13,054
3,947
4,330
80,625
1 Dietary Service
-
7,010
7,010
1 Utilities
8,750
22,773
26,927 219,607
4,864
3,304
286,225
1 Other Operating
77,960
95,089
51,098 182,212
14,238
53,639
474,236
1 Development of Facilities
29,054
-
3,378
32,432
1 Debt Repayment, Including Interest
91,750
125,983 $1,
82,353 703,439
144,650 $1,583,104
877,542
$6,122,046
H *
$2,013,442 $1
$138,297
$116,570
1 Reserved for Expansion
98,485
98,485
$6,220,531
$2,111,927 $1
125,983 S1,
144,650 S1,583,104
$138,297
$116,570
1 Excess of Income over Expenditure
1 ^ for the Year Ended March 31, 1969
$ S
$
$
$ 1,338
$ 1,012
$ 2,350
UBC Reports/September 25, 1969/11 Afp^ UBC ALUMNI ■ ■
Contact
Lack of money means students face increasing study space shortage in UBC library, warns librarian.
NO RELIEF SEEN
UBC History
On Display
UBC's history will be on display at Reunion Days
'69 on October 24—25. Alumni returning to campus
for the annual event will be able to see the story of
UBC from 1919 to 1969 in a special photographic
exhibit entitled, Memory Lane.
"I'm sure this will be a big attraction at reunion,"
said George Morfitt, Reunion Days chairman. "The
exhibit will contain many old and rare pictures of
early UBC. It will mark the first time many of these
pictures will have been seen by large numbers of
people."
Reunion Days '69 will feature another new
attraction: a rugby game between the UBC
Thunderbirds and the University of Victoria. Game
time will be 2 p.m., October 25, in Thunderbird
Stadium. In addition, there will be a family sports
jamboree, a men's golf tournament, a president's
reception and the Great Trek Ball.
And, of course, alumni from the classes of 1919,
'24, '29, '34, '39, '44, '49, '54 and '59 will hold
individual reunions. The guest of honor for Reunion
Days '69 will be UBC President Walter Gage.
***
An interesting pattern is emerging in donations to
the Alumni Fund this year. More and more alumni
are designating that they want their donations to go
to the President's Fund, a special fund for exclusive
use by the president of UBC.
So far this year, grads have designated $8,466 for
the President's Fund, twice what was designated in all
of 1968. And yet the 1969 Alumni Fund campaign is
only at its halfway point. It's worth noting also that
total designations to the President's Fund to date are
four times what they were at the same time in 1968.
"I think this is a good indication of how strongly
the average alumnus supports President Walter Gage,"
said Murray McKenzie, chairman of the 1969 Alumr
Fund. "Alumni generally were delighted to see Gage1
made president and they're showing this now in a
tangible way."
So far this year the Alumni Fund has received
$176,000 in donations from alumni. The target for
the 1969 campaign is $250,000. The money is used
annually to assist student academic, athletic, social
and cultural activities.
University Library Losing Space Race
Last spring, the UBC Alumni Association
sponsored a conference on the problems of higher
education in B.C. entitled "Beyond '6'J." It was a
conference of revelations and one of the more
revealing addresses was made in a panel discussion by
Jure Erickson, head of UBC's Sedgewick Library.
The bulk of his remarks are reproduced below and
other conference highlights appear in the fall UBC
Alumni Chronicle.
By TURE ERICKSON
Head, Sedgewick Library, UBC
I know that statistics are not unlike the
bikini—what they reveal is interesting, but what they
hide, vital. Nevertheless, you may find it useful to
consider the following. First, the library has too few
seats for its users. For example, in the Sedgewick
library there were 485 seats provided in 1968—69.
The clientele of that library numbered 10,000 plus.
The fact is that for those students a bare minumum
of 1,605 seats were needed. To the extent that those
seats were unavailable, students were frustrated in
their attempts to use the library successfully.
Second, the library has too few books for large
segments of the campus population. We know that in
12/UBC Reports/September 25, 1969
1968—69, for the clientele using the Sedgewick
library, 152,000 volumes of books and periodicals
were required as a minimum. In fact there were only
84,000 volumes available. I am not citing standard
North American minimum statistics. I am stating the
actual title by-title requirements that we have
measured at UBC.
The Sedgewick Library collection fell short by
over 4,000 titles and by 68,000 extra copies. When I
say that the collection fell short I mean that for
approximately one-third of the time that a student
needed an item, it was unavailable. The end product
of one-third of the time he spent searching for his
requirements was nothing. That is a tragic situation.
Of those items which were available, we found
that 385,000 items were circulated from the
Sedgewick Library during the winter session. But that
amounts to only 38.5 items circulated per student for
the session. It amounts to barely more than one item
charged out to each student per month for each
course he carries.
What will be the UBC situation by 1970? First, we
will have had to move books and staff into some of
the present reading areas. There will be fewer books
available per student at a time when the required
ratio of books to student will have increased by 10
per cent over that of 1968. There will be longer and
longer queues formed by students waiting to charge
out available materials. Further, even more students'
time will be wasted in fruitless searching.
There will be an evergrowing backlog of unshelved
material awaiting shelf space that will be made
available only by constant major shifting of many
parts of the collection. Added to that, there will be a
growing backlog of uncatalogued and therefore
unavailable material which will remain unprocessed
until such time as space for processing staff is created.
What are the alternatives to that future? There are
none. The reasons are, first, were we given capital
development monies now, we are too late to avoid
the worsened situation of 1970. Second, large scale
boosts in library operational grants cannot be
accommodated given the present library physical
plant.
It is a simple fact that UBC students are going to
have to accept even lower standards of service than
are presently available.
I put to you two questions. For how long and to
what extent will we ask students to accept a lowering
of service and support? For how long and to what
extent will they permit us to make those requests?
If you agree that what I have said is valid, consider
thisl The estimated capital cost of construcinga new
Sedgewick Library is $4.5 million.